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HDR | CWI | FishPro 5201 South Sixth Street Road Springfield, Illinois 62703-5143 217.585.8300 or 217.585.8333

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For more details, contact: David Bumann 307.777.4582

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Enjoy spectacular Buffalo Bill country, east gate to Yellowstone National Park and all the old west has to offer. Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park just 90 miles away.

Come early or stay late to enjoy all the area has to offer while the conference is in Wyoming.

Page 1 www.conservationengineers.org

A Newsletter for the Association of Conservation Engineers

Enhancing Our Natural Resources

DECEMBER 2008

also inside...

Hurricanes effect the Midwest, pages 8 and 9

Eugene Baker Award presented David Kempf added to ACE’s most prestigious award list

A highlight of this year’s ACE Conference held in October in Springfield, MO, was the presentation of the Eugene Baker Award posthumously to David Kempf, who passed away Nov. 25, 2006. David joined ACE in 1980 and served as President from 1999 to 2000. He was an active member and had served on various committees over his 26 year-membership in ACE. The following is the award Presentation by ACE President Eugene Comoss followed by the Kempf family’s acceptance.

Presentation of the Eugene Baker Award

at the Association of Conservation Engineers 47th Annual Conference

Springfield, Missouri October 8, 2008

The Eugene Baker Award is the Association of Conservation Engineers’ way of recognizing someone for their outstanding contribution to conservation engineering. Since ACE’s founding in 1961, there have only been 25

recipients of the award. Two of those folks are with us this evening: Jack Fisher and Jerry Dorscheid. Tonight we are pleased to posthumously add David Kempf’s name to the Eugene Baker honor roll. David was a conservationist from birth. He grew up on the family farm in central Missouri and enjoyed hunting and fishing as a youngster. He began his professional conservation engineer

(Continued on page 3)

President’s and Past President’s Reports·············································Page 2 2008 Award of Excellence Winner··························································Page 4 Photos of 2008 ACE Conference ····························································Pages 6-7 Wild Rose Fish Hatchery·········································································Page 8 Lake Erie Marina ······················································································Page 11

www.conservationengineers.org

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE David Freedman, GA............................. President Randy Knott, GA................................... President Elect John Hagman, WI.................................. Past President Eugene Comoss, PA .............................. Past President Champak Patel, IN................................. Treasurer Kathy Dillmon, WY .............................. Secretary Dave Bumann, WY................................ At Large John Kattell, MT.................................... At Large

Past President’s Message

Continue recruiting new members

I hope everyone was inspired as I was at the Annual Conference in Missouri. Many people contributed to making the conference a great success. Sincere appreciation goes to Greg Mihalevich, Bill Lueckenhoff, and the rest of the Missouri staff for putting on such a great conference. Along with the conference there are many people that deserve recognition for their service to the Association. It is the members that make ACE the great organization that it is. Thanks to Eugene Comoss for leading the organization as President over the last year. Thanks to Deb Ohlinger for serving the organization for several years as Treasurer. I would like to welcome and thank our new Executive Committee Members: Randy Knott, President-Elect; John Hagman and Eugene Comoss, Past Presidents; Champak Patel, Treasurer; Kathy Dillmon, Secretary; and Dave Bumann and John Kattell At Large Members. The highlight of the conference was seeing the Kempf family accept the Eugene Baker Award on behalf of David Kempf. David was one of our most loyal members and it was an honor to be able to participate in the celebration of his career in conservation and the positive influence he has had on all of us in the Organization. Sincere thanks goes out to David Baumann of Wyoming for becoming

the new program Committee Chair and for hosting the conference in 2009. I am sure everyone is as excited as I am about visiting Buffalo Bill's Cody/Yellowstone Country next year. Getting energized at the conference and returning back home give us the chance to reflect on the great challenges and opportunities we have in our careers.

We all play a significant role in improving the quality of life in our communities, states, and regions. It is very fulfilling to see someone hiking a trail, fishing on a pier, or camping in a campground that we had a role in. Holiday wishes to all of our members and their families and I hope to see you in Buffalo Bill country.

David Freedman, P.E.

President

“We play a significant role…” 2009 President says Conference is always energizing

Presidents Message

“The 47th Annual Conference brought a fitting conclusion to our year. Our hosts, the Missouri Department of Conservation, did a superb job in insuring the conference was enjoyed by all attendees. A special thanks to Bill Lueckenhoff and Greg Mihalevich for all of their hard work. Also, a special thank you to Traci Ulberg, of Meetings Northwest, for her assistance in organizing the conference. Through the year, we continued to make strides in improving our organization. We had 25 new members over the past year. We continued efforts to get more members involved and continued to investigate methods of improving communication with all

of our members. The organization remains fiscally sound. However, we must continue our efforts to recruit new members to bring a new vitality and new ideas to the organization. Good luck to our new president, David Freedman, and our Executive Committee as they enter an exciting new year. I look forward to seeing everyone in Wyoming in 2009.”

Eugene J. Comoss, P.E.


The first phase of construction for an expanded marina facility on Middle Bass Island in Lake Erie is nearing completion with the removal of a dewatering cofferdam last month. The new marina basin, shown here shortly before refilling began, will have a total capacity of 340 slips for both transient and seasonal dockage, a wider and more protected entrance, a sewage pump-out station and a two-lane boat launching ramp. Due to the potential impact of the project on adjacent wetland areas, several elements for environmental mitigation were completed as part of the project, including construction of vegetated shallows around the perimeter of much of the basin, placement of stone cobbles to provide fish spawning areas underneath dock mains, restoration of wetlands at the

ODNR renovates a Lake Erie marina basin former marina entrance, removal of invasive plant species along the northern edge of the basin, and creation of an upland vernal pool area in one of the excavated material disposal sites. The project site is also home to the Federally protected Lake Erie Water Snake, so “snake fence” was installed around virtually the entire work area and live traps were used to capture and relocate snakes prior to and during excavation of the marina basin. Additional construction work planned during 2009 at this site includes: installation of floating docks totaling 210 slips with on-dock water, electrical service and fire protection; completion of water, sewer and electrical utility services to various areas of the park; installation of a 100,000 gallon elevated water storage tank for park use, and the initial phase of upland

improvements (access roads, parking areas, temporary office and restroom facilities). Total estimated cost of construction for work completed or scheduled to date is approximately $13,000,000. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) acquired approximately 124 acres on Middle Bass Island in 2000, including the landmark Lonz Winery building. ODNR also operates campgrounds and/or day use areas on Kelleys Island, South Bass Island, and North Bass Island. Middle Bass Island is located approximately 11 miles north of Port Clinton, Ohio in the western basin of Lake Erie and is accessible by boat, commercial ferry service, or aircraft.

David M. Mohr, P.E. Ohio DNR Division of Engineering

Aerial photo by Karl Steuk


headtank This Phase I water will also be used to provide water to six ½-acre ponds used for “grow out” by gravity. The Phase I water can also be pumped to provide water to eight 1-acre ponds developed within the site. All of these ponds will be lined with an EPDM liner. A fifth production well was developed for this side of the hatchery to provide incubation water in the Coolwater production building. This fifth production well is connected to one of the four wells on the Phase I

(Continued from page 8)

side of the property to provide some redundancy. The Coolwater/Warmwater Building, again using gravity to the extent possible, utilizes a recirculation system that includes internal microscreens, Moving Bed Bioreactors (MBBR) and UV systems to allow for it to be used again and again. After being used within the Coolwater / Warmwater Building the water passes through a third microscreen system and then can be diverted either to the Pine River, which is the Class I trout stream, or

Wisconsin

Every picture tells a story This is one of the most photo-filled ACE Newsletters we have ever had! Pictures certainly tell the story in a way that words just cannot. How else could anyone really understand the devastation a hurricane can cause nearly a thousand miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico? Then there’s the great story on page 11 about Ohio DNR’s work to expand the marina facility on Middle Bass Island in Lake Erie; and another about the total renovation of the Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery in Wisconsin on page 8. At the 2008 Conference, ACE

presented its greatest honor to the David Kempf family. The presentation speech given by ACE President Eugene Comoss and the family’s acceptance speech are on page 3. To round out the business of ACE for 2008, David Freedman is the 2009 President. In addition, Deb Ohlinger, who has been treasurer for several years, is handing over the checkbook to

Champak Patel, while Greg Mihalevich is giving his secretarial pen and paper to Kathy Dillmon. A huge thank you to Eugene Comoss on his year as President, and to Deb and Greg for their years of service. Welcome to the new slate of ACE leaders. I hope everyone will support them and continue to strive to make ACE a meaningful and important organization.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas

and a most Happy New Year, Lynda Cliburn

Editor

Editor’s Note

into a solar storage reservoir which allows for tempering of water for usage in the handling of fish within the aquaculture ponds. This project was bid in April of 2008 and is approximately 35 percent complete and should be complete by the end of 2009. The bid price was approximately $15.9 million. Change orders to date amount to approximately 0.2 percent of the project bid. The last unique feature of this system was the existing hatchery had to remain operational during all of the construction. This required the team to phase certain aspects of the construction and to insure that water and electrical service was maintained throughout the process. Upon completion of these two phases, WDNR will undertake a third phase which will remove many of the CCC era raceways and restore the stream to a more natural state and allow for trout to return to the headwaters of the stream. Some of the raceways will be kept for interpretive purposes.

Sanjay Olsen

John Hagman WI Department of Natural

Resources Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery Education Center.


career in 1979 when he came to work for the Missouri Department of Conservation as a civil engineer. During his conservation engineer career, David earned a reputation as an engineering design innovator. One example of this is a double weir gate water control structure that he devised to automatically control water levels in wetland pools in normal or flood flow conditions. The company he worked with to develop the gate for his project went on to add David’s design to their product catalog. David was nationally known for his wetland expertise and served as MDC’s liaison in this area with such organizations as the Natural Resources


Conservation Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Ducks Unlimited, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. David successfully managed a multitude of construction projects for MDC including a number of complex, multi-million dollar wetland restoration projects. In addition to his design and project expertise, David was a compassionate supervisor and co-worker who always put other’s needs ahead of his own. During the last eight years of his career, he served as MDC’s

For years the ACE conferences have provided us with our annual vacation spots. Together we've traveled many states and every year we would explore new places. From the stunning mountain regions of Colorado to the sunny seaside of South Carolina, we've traveled to almost every conference. Through the years we have met wonderful people with whom we have shared exciting adventures, everything

Baker Award

from drifting through the night waters on a river boat to cracking open oysters. All of these happy times will live on in our hearts. Seeing all of the many people at the ACE Conference in Springfield with whom we have shared many memories was bittersweet! Sweet because all of us had such exciting experiences on those trips, and bitter because David who made those fun times happen is no longer here with us.

The family of David Kempf with the Eugene Baker Award presented posthumously to David Kempf at the 2008 ACE Conference

Engineering Manager in the Design & Development Division supervising a mix of up to 40 employees including engineers, drafting design technicians, surveyors, and construction inspectors. David Kempf was a devoted husband and loving father and grandfather. He lived a balanced life of work, family, and faith and we all miss him dearly. Accepting the Eugene Baker Award for David tonight is his oldest son, Justin.

(Presentation by ACE President Eugene Comoss)

As Eugene Comoss said, “We will always miss him”. Having this award bestowed on David is a wonderful tribute to his achievements in the field of conservation engineering. Thank you so much!

Thank you, Candy, Justin, Lindsay, Philip,

Elizabeth and Margaret

Acceptance of the Baker Award by Kempf Family

David Kempf


The 2008 ACE Award of Excellence was presented to the Rattlesnake Creek Pedestrian Suspension Bridge project submitted by HDR Engineering. The Rattlesnake National Recreation Area, north of Missoula, MT, is a popular destination for area hikers and bicyclists, however access to this area was limited to the east side of Rattlesnake Creek. Friends of Missoula Parks and the City of Missoula wanted to install a crossing that was environmentally friendly, used recycled materials or sustainable design, and would fit into its surroundings in an aesthetically pleasing way. The resulting bridge, designed by HDR, is a 90-foot-long, 8-foot-wide cable suspension trail bridge. The bridge makes use of a variety of sustainable materials. Dead standing small-diameter Lodgepole pine was used for floor beams, braces and stiffening lattice side trusses; experimental composite decking made from equal parts recycled plastic and sawdust was custom made and installed for the deck; and ¾-inch thick rubber mats made from recycled tires were installed on the deck for a non-slip wearing surface for pedestrians, bicyclists and horses.

2008 Award of Excellence goes to Rattlesnake Bridge


While the damage done by the remnants of Hurricane Ike in Indiana was nowhere near what it was in Texas, it definitely left its mark. Straight line winds damaged southern Indiana, and unusually heavy rains inundated northwestern Indiana. Twelve inches of rain at Indiana Dunes State Park, located on Lake Michigan near Chesterton, overwhelmed the park’s storm sewers and culverts, creating a six-inch deep sheet flow across the main parking lot at the beach complex. Park officials could only watch in amazement as the northeast corner of the lot started to crumble before their eyes. When the storm had subsided and the damage was evaluated it was determined that the lot and areas immediately around it had

sustained approximately $500,000 in damages. The asphalt over concrete parking lot had withstood nature for approximately 60 years, but was never designed to have huge quantities of water flowing across it and emptying onto the beach. The heavy flow of water emptying off the end of the lot eroded the sand and undercut the lot, leading to the damage. The heavy damage may have a long term positive effect. Dunes Creek currently flows through a culvert under the parking lot. A section of Dunes Creek farther from Lake Michigan was daylighted several years ago, restoring the natural stream and garnering acclaim from environmental organizations. The project was the recipient of the ACE, Carl Anderson

Conservation Project of the Year Award in 2006. Ever since the first project, many people have wanted to daylight the remaining section, but competition for scarce project funds has prevented it. The damaged parking lot is immediately adjacent to the Dunes Creek culvert, and the inability of the culvert to handle the heavy rain was a major contributor to the damage. After a quick feasibility study, a decision has been made to proceed with daylighting of this remaining section as part of the parking lot repairs. Design work is currently underway, with bidding expected in late summer of 2009.

Tom Hohman IN Department of Natural Resources

Indiana Dunes State Park Ike’s 12” of rain does $500k damage


Greetings from Alabama! We had a great time in Springfield, MO. I want to thank the entire Missouri Department of Conservation staff, especially Greg for their hospitality. We all need to get behind David and Kathy this year to start planning to attend the conference in Cody, WY, and present a paper. With the conference in August we only have eight months to get our papers prepared and travel arrangements made. As I mentioned in July, our new pier was 70 percent complete then and was about 95 percent complete when Hurricanes Gustav and Ike hit town. We lost over 40 piling due to damages caused by these storms. We had waves in excess of 25 feet with storm eyes west of Gulf Shores. We also had considerable beach erosion to our engineered areas. The demolition of the damaged sections is complete and the new pilings are being installed. We should still be finished with the pier by spring of 2009. And thanks to these hurricanes, we will be doing FEMA paper work forever, I believe! I will once again have my membership challenge fund, so please get someone to join because I would rather pay for eight new members than spend it on

Two years ago at the ACE conference in Montana, HDR|FishPro presented a paper on the new Wild Rose Fish Hatchery being designed and constructed for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). Set in a beautiful small valley, the Wild Rose Fish Hatchery is the oldest and largest hatchery within the WDNR system and is used to provide fish primarily for the Great Lakes. When the design started, approximately 67 artesian wells were used to supplement a spring system that provided production water for the system through a system of CCC era stone and concrete raceways.

One of the unique aspects of this project is the reuse of production water by gravity to feed two separate hatchery units. In Phase I, the water from four production wells is fed to a headtank system which provides a stable control elevation for the hatchery system. The water in the headtank is then used in a Broodstock and Coldwater Production Buildings. The water flows through these buildings and then is run through microscreen #1 and an UV treatment systems to remove solids and destroy harmful pathogens. This water is then used to feed 4 individual raceway pavilions used for “grow out” of the fish. The Raceway Pavilions are open air

structures used to eliminate predation and maximize fish “grow out” capacity, using oxygen to supplement water capacity. The system is set up such that these Raceway Pavilions can use the water either in series, individually or in a combination thereof. The effluent water from this system is then fed into microscreen #2, still by gravity and then passed into a Class I trout stream. An effluent treatment system collects and stores all the solid waste generated from this operation. The design was set up to run at maximum using 6,000 gpm but typically runs at about 3,400 gpm. In addition to the hatchery elements, a new visitor center was constructed; some of the CCC era buildings were restored and moved for interpretive purposes and the site office was rehabilitated. The project was bid in April of 2006 and is now substantially complete, with just a few punch list items remaining. The hatchery staff started raising fish in December of 2007 meaning portions of the hatchery had to be completed and accepted before the whole system was complete. The bid price was approximately $11.6 million and change orders have been held to approximately 4 percent of the bid with many of the change orders being used to expedite and reduce the costs associated with the development of Phase II and Phase III. The Phase II portion of the project takes place on the east side of a state highway which bisects the property. By boring under this highway, the design team was able to send the water from microscreen #2 on the Phase I side of the property under the highway to feed the new 33,000 square foot Coolwater / Warmwater production building after running through a second UV system to eliminate pathogens. Several of the water supplies in the new Coolwater Building can be accommodated by gravity but most of the incubation water had to be pumped into a second


Wisconsin’s new fish hatchery nears completion of

shells or bait. I want to encourage everyone to get one new member this year. I would also again encourage every ACE member to submit at least one paragraph to the newsletter letting everyone know what is going on in your state or at your facilities. Please send a brief description and pictures of your projects. We can all learn from others successes and failures. I am still co-chair on a SOBA committee that is producing a DVD on boat ramp, docks and marina construction, so if any of you have any video footage or pictures of this type construction, please send to me. The deadline for the footage or pictures is January 15, 2009. Look forward to seeing you in Cody, Wyoming in August.

Terry N. Boyd, PE, PLS AL Department of Conservation and

Natural Resources PS: I am planning on getting up a bottom fishing trip this summer in the Gulf from Orange Beach if you are interested, please call me at 334-799-9149 cell or 34-242-3836 office.

Hurricanes set back Alabama pier work


Association of Conservation Engineers 2007-2008 Budget As of October 3, 2008

Here are details of the status of our accounts, our expenditures during the past year, and our 2007-2008 budget compared to actual expenditures. We have a nice amount of money in our savings account and two CDs. Thanks to those members who contributed to the James (Jim) Schalk Memorial ACE Scholarship: Dominick Mangardi, Charles Cutting, and William Cannon. I have enjoyed serving as the ACE Treasurer. No doubt our new Treasurer, Champak Patel, will do an excellent job.

Deb Ohlinger Former Treasurer


Group photo (top, left) of Conference attendees. On Monevening, we had a fish fry and did some trap and skeet s(top, right) at MDC’s Dalton Shooting Range. We touredShepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery (bottom, right) in BraMO, on Tuesday. Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery is largest trout production facility in the Missouri DepartmenConservation trout production program. One of the Confesessions (bottom, center) in progress. We took a field tri(bottom, left) of the Independent Stave Company in LebaMO, on Thursday. Stave Company makes 90% of all theand bourbon barrels used in the world.


nday shooting d anson, the nt of erence ip tour anon, e wine


Greetings from Alabama! We had a great time in Springfield, MO. I want to thank the entire Missouri Department of Conservation staff, especially Greg for their hospitality. We all need to get behind David and Kathy this year to start planning to attend the conference in Cody, WY, and present a paper. With the conference in August we only have eight months to get our papers prepared and travel arrangements made. As I mentioned in July, our new pier was 70 percent complete then and was about 95 percent complete when Hurricanes Gustav and Ike hit town. We lost over 40 piling due to damages caused by these storms. We had waves in excess of 25 feet with storm eyes west of Gulf Shores. We also had considerable beach erosion to our engineered areas. The demolition of the damaged sections is complete and the new pilings are being installed. We should still be finished with the pier by spring of 2009. And thanks to these hurricanes, we will be doing FEMA paper work forever, I believe! I will once again have my membership challenge fund, so please get someone to join because I would rather pay for eight new members than spend it on

Two years ago at the ACE conference in Montana, HDR|FishPro presented a paper on the new Wild Rose Fish Hatchery being designed and constructed for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). Set in a beautiful small valley, the Wild Rose Fish Hatchery is the oldest and largest hatchery within the WDNR system and is used to provide fish primarily for the Great Lakes. When the design started, approximately 67 artesian wells were used to supplement a spring system that provided production water for the system through a system of CCC era stone and concrete raceways.

One of the unique aspects of this project is the reuse of production water by gravity to feed two separate hatchery units. In Phase I, the water from four production wells is fed to a headtank system which provides a stable control elevation for the hatchery system. The water in the headtank is then used in a Broodstock and Coldwater Production Buildings. The water flows through these buildings and then is run through microscreen #1 and an UV treatment systems to remove solids and destroy harmful pathogens. This water is then used to feed 4 individual raceway pavilions used for “grow out” of the fish. The Raceway Pavilions are open air

structures used to eliminate predation and maximize fish “grow out” capacity, using oxygen to supplement water capacity. The system is set up such that these Raceway Pavilions can use the water either in series, individually or in a combination thereof. The effluent water from this system is then fed into microscreen #2, still by gravity and then passed into a Class I trout stream. An effluent treatment system collects and stores all the solid waste generated from this operation. The design was set up to run at maximum using 6,000 gpm but typically runs at about 3,400 gpm. In addition to the hatchery elements, a new visitor center was constructed; some of the CCC era buildings were restored and moved for interpretive purposes and the site office was rehabilitated. The project was bid in April of 2006 and is now substantially complete, with just a few punch list items remaining. The hatchery staff started raising fish in December of 2007 meaning portions of the hatchery had to be completed and accepted before the whole system was complete. The bid price was approximately $11.6 million and change orders have been held to approximately 4 percent of the bid with many of the change orders being used to expedite and reduce the costs associated with the development of Phase II and Phase III. The Phase II portion of the project takes place on the east side of a state highway which bisects the property. By boring under this highway, the design team was able to send the water from microscreen #2 on the Phase I side of the property under the highway to feed the new 33,000 square foot Coolwater / Warmwater production building after running through a second UV system to eliminate pathogens. Several of the water supplies in the new Coolwater Building can be accommodated by gravity but most of the incubation water had to be pumped into a second


Wisconsin’s new fish hatchery nears completion of

shells or bait. I want to encourage everyone to get one new member this year. I would also again encourage every ACE member to submit at least one paragraph to the newsletter letting everyone know what is going on in your state or at your facilities. Please send a brief description and pictures of your projects. We can all learn from others successes and failures. I am still co-chair on a SOBA committee that is producing a DVD on boat ramp, docks and marina construction, so if any of you have any video footage or pictures of this type construction, please send to me. The deadline for the footage or pictures is January 15, 2009. Look forward to seeing you in Cody, Wyoming in August.

Terry N. Boyd, PE, PLS AL Department of Conservation and

Natural Resources PS: I am planning on getting up a bottom fishing trip this summer in the Gulf from Orange Beach if you are interested, please call me at 334-799-9149 cell or 34-242-3836 office.

Hurricanes set back Alabama pier work


Association of Conservation Engineers 2007-2008 Budget As of October 3, 2008

Here are details of the status of our accounts, our expenditures during the past year, and our 2007-2008 budget compared to actual expenditures. We have a nice amount of money in our savings account and two CDs. Thanks to those members who contributed to the James (Jim) Schalk Memorial ACE Scholarship: Dominick Mangardi, Charles Cutting, and William Cannon. I have enjoyed serving as the ACE Treasurer. No doubt our new Treasurer, Champak Patel, will do an excellent job.

Deb Ohlinger Former Treasurer


The 2008 ACE Award of Excellence was presented to the Rattlesnake Creek Pedestrian Suspension Bridge project submitted by HDR Engineering. The Rattlesnake National Recreation Area, north of Missoula, MT, is a popular destination for area hikers and bicyclists, however access to this area was limited to the east side of Rattlesnake Creek. Friends of Missoula Parks and the City of Missoula wanted to install a crossing that was environmentally friendly, used recycled materials or sustainable design, and would fit into its surroundings in an aesthetically pleasing way. The resulting bridge, designed by HDR, is a 90-foot-long, 8-foot-wide cable suspension trail bridge. The bridge makes use of a variety of sustainable materials. Dead standing small-diameter Lodgepole pine was used for floor beams, braces and stiffening lattice side trusses; experimental composite decking made from equal parts recycled plastic and sawdust was custom made and installed for the deck; and ¾-inch thick rubber mats made from recycled tires were installed on the deck for a non-slip wearing surface for pedestrians, bicyclists and horses.

2008 Award of Excellence goes to Rattlesnake Bridge


While the damage done by the remnants of Hurricane Ike in Indiana was nowhere near what it was in Texas, it definitely left its mark. Straight line winds damaged southern Indiana, and unusually heavy rains inundated northwestern Indiana. Twelve inches of rain at Indiana Dunes State Park, located on Lake Michigan near Chesterton, overwhelmed the park’s storm sewers and culverts, creating a six-inch deep sheet flow across the main parking lot at the beach complex. Park officials could only watch in amazement as the northeast corner of the lot started to crumble before their eyes. When the storm had subsided and the damage was evaluated it was determined that the lot and areas immediately around it had

sustained approximately $500,000 in damages. The asphalt over concrete parking lot had withstood nature for approximately 60 years, but was never designed to have huge quantities of water flowing across it and emptying onto the beach. The heavy flow of water emptying off the end of the lot eroded the sand and undercut the lot, leading to the damage. The heavy damage may have a long term positive effect. Dunes Creek currently flows through a culvert under the parking lot. A section of Dunes Creek farther from Lake Michigan was daylighted several years ago, restoring the natural stream and garnering acclaim from environmental organizations. The project was the recipient of the ACE, Carl Anderson

Conservation Project of the Year Award in 2006. Ever since the first project, many people have wanted to daylight the remaining section, but competition for scarce project funds has prevented it. The damaged parking lot is immediately adjacent to the Dunes Creek culvert, and the inability of the culvert to handle the heavy rain was a major contributor to the damage. After a quick feasibility study, a decision has been made to proceed with daylighting of this remaining section as part of the parking lot repairs. Design work is currently underway, with bidding expected in late summer of 2009.

Tom Hohman IN Department of Natural Resources

Indiana Dunes State Park Ike’s 12” of rain does $500k damage


headtank This Phase I water will also be used to provide water to six ½-acre ponds used for “grow out” by gravity. The Phase I water can also be pumped to provide water to eight 1-acre ponds developed within the site. All of these ponds will be lined with an EPDM liner. A fifth production well was developed for this side of the hatchery to provide incubation water in the Coolwater production building. This fifth production well is connected to one of the four wells on the Phase I


side of the property to provide some redundancy. The Coolwater/Warmwater Building, again using gravity to the extent possible, utilizes a recirculation system that includes internal microscreens, Moving Bed Bioreactors (MBBR) and UV systems to allow for it to be used again and again. After being used within the Coolwater / Warmwater Building the water passes through a third microscreen system and then can be diverted either to the Pine River, which is the Class I trout stream, or

Wisconsin

Every picture tells a story This is one of the most photo-filled ACE Newsletters we have ever had! Pictures certainly tell the story in a way that words just cannot. How else could anyone really understand the devastation a hurricane can cause nearly a thousand miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico? Then there’s the great story on page 11 about Ohio DNR’s work to expand the marina facility on Middle Bass Island in Lake Erie; and another about the total renovation of the Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery in Wisconsin on page 8. At the 2008 Conference, ACE

presented its greatest honor to the David Kempf family. The presentation speech given by ACE President Eugene Comoss and the family’s acceptance speech are on page 3. To round out the business of ACE for 2008, David Freedman is the 2009 President. In addition, Deb Ohlinger, who has been treasurer for several years, is handing over the checkbook to

Champak Patel, while Greg Mihalevich is giving his secretarial pen and paper to Kathy Dillmon. A huge thank you to Eugene Comoss on his year as President, and to Deb and Greg for their years of service. Welcome to the new slate of ACE leaders. I hope everyone will support them and continue to strive to make ACE a meaningful and important organization.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas

and a most Happy New Year, Lynda Cliburn

Editor

Editor’s Note

into a solar storage reservoir which allows for tempering of water for usage in the handling of fish within the aquaculture ponds. This project was bid in April of 2008 and is approximately 35 percent complete and should be complete by the end of 2009. The bid price was approximately $15.9 million. Change orders to date amount to approximately 0.2 percent of the project bid. The last unique feature of this system was the existing hatchery had to remain operational during all of the construction. This required the team to phase certain aspects of the construction and to insure that water and electrical service was maintained throughout the process. Upon completion of these two phases, WDNR will undertake a third phase which will remove many of the CCC era raceways and restore the stream to a more natural state and allow for trout to return to the headwaters of the stream. Some of the raceways will be kept for interpretive purposes.

Sanjay Olsen

John Hagman WI Department of Natural

Resources Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery Education Center.


career in 1979 when he came to work for the Missouri Department of Conservation as a civil engineer. During his conservation engineer career, David earned a reputation as an engineering design innovator. One example of this is a double weir gate water control structure that he devised to automatically control water levels in wetland pools in normal or flood flow conditions. The company he worked with to develop the gate for his project went on to add David’s design to their product catalog. David was nationally known for his wetland expertise and served as MDC’s liaison in this area with such organizations as the Natural Resources


Conservation Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Ducks Unlimited, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. David successfully managed a multitude of construction projects for MDC including a number of complex, multi-million dollar wetland restoration projects. In addition to his design and project expertise, David was a compassionate supervisor and co-worker who always put other’s needs ahead of his own. During the last eight years of his career, he served as MDC’s

For years the ACE conferences have provided us with our annual vacation spots. Together we've traveled many states and every year we would explore new places. From the stunning mountain regions of Colorado to the sunny seaside of South Carolina, we've traveled to almost every conference. Through the years we have met wonderful people with whom we have shared exciting adventures, everything

Baker Award

from drifting through the night waters on a river boat to cracking open oysters. All of these happy times will live on in our hearts. Seeing all of the many people at the ACE Conference in Springfield with whom we have shared many memories was bittersweet! Sweet because all of us had such exciting experiences on those trips, and bitter because David who made those fun times happen is no longer here with us.

The family of David Kempf with the Eugene Baker Award presented posthumously to David Kempf at the 2008 ACE Conference

Engineering Manager in the Design & Development Division supervising a mix of up to 40 employees including engineers, drafting design technicians, surveyors, and construction inspectors. David Kempf was a devoted husband and loving father and grandfather. He lived a balanced life of work, family, and faith and we all miss him dearly. Accepting the Eugene Baker Award for David tonight is his oldest son, Justin.

(Presentation by ACE President Eugene Comoss)

As Eugene Comoss said, “We will always miss him”. Having this award bestowed on David is a wonderful tribute to his achievements in the field of conservation engineering. Thank you so much!

Thank you, Candy, Justin, Lindsay, Philip,

Elizabeth and Margaret

Acceptance of the Baker Award by Kempf Family

David Kempf


2 0 0 8 - 2 0 0 9

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE David Freedman, GA............................. President Randy Knott, GA................................... President Elect John Hagman, WI.................................. Past President Eugene Comoss, PA .............................. Past President Champak Patel, IN................................. Treasurer Kathy Dillmon, WY .............................. Secretary Dave Bumann, WY................................ At Large John Kattell, MT.................................... At Large

Past President’s Message

Continue recruiting new members

I hope everyone was inspired as I was at the Annual Conference in Missouri. Many people contributed to making the conference a great success. Sincere appreciation goes to Greg Mihalevich, Bill Lueckenhoff, and the rest of the Missouri staff for putting on such a great conference. Along with the conference there are many people that deserve recognition for their service to the Association. It is the members that make ACE the great organization that it is. Thanks to Eugene Comoss for leading the organization as President over the last year. Thanks to Deb Ohlinger for serving the organization for several years as Treasurer. I would like to welcome and thank our new Executive Committee Members: Randy Knott, President-Elect; John Hagman and Eugene Comoss, Past Presidents; Champak Patel, Treasurer; Kathy Dillmon, Secretary; and Dave Bumann and John Kattell At Large Members. The highlight of the conference was seeing the Kempf family accept the Eugene Baker Award on behalf of David Kempf. David was one of our most loyal members and it was an honor to be able to participate in the celebration of his career in conservation and the positive influence he has had on all of us in the Organization. Sincere thanks goes out to David Baumann of Wyoming for becoming

the new program Committee Chair and for hosting the conference in 2009. I am sure everyone is as excited as I am about visiting Buffalo Bill's Cody/Yellowstone Country next year. Getting energized at the conference and returning back home give us the chance to reflect on the great challenges and opportunities we have in our careers.

We all play a significant role in improving the quality of life in our communities, states, and regions. It is very fulfilling to see someone hiking a trail, fishing on a pier, or camping in a campground that we had a role in. Holiday wishes to all of our members and their families and I hope to see you in Buffalo Bill country.

David Freedman, P.E.

President

“We play a significant role…” 2009 President says Conference is always energizing

Presidents Message

“The 47th Annual Conference brought a fitting conclusion to our year. Our hosts, the Missouri Department of Conservation, did a superb job in insuring the conference was enjoyed by all attendees. A special thanks to Bill Lueckenhoff and Greg Mihalevich for all of their hard work. Also, a special thank you to Traci Ulberg, of Meetings Northwest, for her assistance in organizing the conference. Through the year, we continued to make strides in improving our organization. We had 25 new members over the past year. We continued efforts to get more members involved and continued to investigate methods of improving communication with all

of our members. The organization remains fiscally sound. However, we must continue our efforts to recruit new members to bring a new vitality and new ideas to the organization. Good luck to our new president, David Freedman, and our Executive Committee as they enter an exciting new year. I look forward to seeing everyone in Wyoming in 2009.”

Eugene J. Comoss, P.E.


The first phase of construction for an expanded marina facility on Middle Bass Island in Lake Erie is nearing completion with the removal of a dewatering cofferdam last month. The new marina basin, shown here shortly before refilling began, will have a total capacity of 340 slips for both transient and seasonal dockage, a wider and more protected entrance, a sewage pump-out station and a two-lane boat launching ramp. Due to the potential impact of the project on adjacent wetland areas, several elements for environmental mitigation were completed as part of the project, including construction of vegetated shallows around the perimeter of much of the basin, placement of stone cobbles to provide fish spawning areas underneath dock mains, restoration of wetlands at the

ODNR renovates a Lake Erie marina basin former marina entrance, removal of invasive plant species along the northern edge of the basin, and creation of an upland vernal pool area in one of the excavated material disposal sites. The project site is also home to the Federally protected Lake Erie Water Snake, so “snake fence” was installed around virtually the entire work area and live traps were used to capture and relocate snakes prior to and during excavation of the marina basin. Additional construction work planned during 2009 at this site includes: installation of floating docks totaling 210 slips with on-dock water, electrical service and fire protection; completion of water, sewer and electrical utility services to various areas of the park; installation of a 100,000 gallon elevated water storage tank for park use, and the initial phase of upland

improvements (access roads, parking areas, temporary office and restroom facilities). Total estimated cost of construction for work completed or scheduled to date is approximately $13,000,000. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) acquired approximately 124 acres on Middle Bass Island in 2000, including the landmark Lonz Winery building. ODNR also operates campgrounds and/or day use areas on Kelleys Island, South Bass Island, and North Bass Island. Middle Bass Island is located approximately 11 miles north of Port Clinton, Ohio in the western basin of Lake Erie and is accessible by boat, commercial ferry service, or aircraft.

David M. Mohr, P.E. Ohio DNR Division of Engineering

Aerial photo by Karl Steuk


HDR | CWI | FishPro 5201 South Sixth Street Road Springfield, Illinois 62703-5143 217.585.8300 or 217.585.8333

inside...

For more details, contact: David Bumann 307.777.4582

or [email protected]

Enjoy spectacular Buffalo Bill country, east gate to Yellowstone National Park and all the old west has to offer. Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park just 90 miles away.

Come early or stay late to enjoy all the area has to offer while the conference is in Wyoming.


A Newsletter for the Association of Conservation Engineers

Enhancing Our Natural Resources

DECEMBER 2008

also inside...

Hurricanes effect the Midwest, pages 8 and 9

Eugene Baker Award presented David Kempf added to ACE’s most prestigious award list

A highlight of this year’s ACE Conference held in October in Springfield, MO, was the presentation of the Eugene Baker Award posthumously to David Kempf, who passed away Nov. 25, 2006. David joined ACE in 1980 and served as President from 1999 to 2000. He was an active member and had served on various committees over his 26 year-membership in ACE. The following is the award Presentation by ACE President Eugene Comoss followed by the Kempf family’s acceptance.

Presentation of the Eugene Baker Award

at the Association of Conservation Engineers 47th Annual Conference

Springfield, Missouri October 8, 2008

The Eugene Baker Award is the Association of Conservation Engineers’ way of recognizing someone for their outstanding contribution to conservation engineering. Since ACE’s founding in 1961, there have only been 25

recipients of the award. Two of those folks are with us this evening: Jack Fisher and Jerry Dorscheid. Tonight we are pleased to posthumously add David Kempf’s name to the Eugene Baker honor roll. David was a conservationist from birth. He grew up on the family farm in central Missouri and enjoyed hunting and fishing as a youngster. He began his professional conservation engineer


President’s and Past President’s Reports·············································Page 2 2008 Award of Excellence Winner··························································Page 4 Photos of 2008 ACE Conference····························································Pages 6-7 Wild Rose Fish Hatchery·········································································Page 8 Lake Erie Marina······················································································

eugene baker award presented - association of...

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